Western Switzerland

This section covers the mainly French speaking portion of Switzerland. It includes the area around Lake Geneva and the cantons of Fribourg, Geneva, Jura, Neuchâtel, Valais and Vaud.

Some of the weather stations are at high elevations in the Valais (or Pennine) Alps of southwestern Switzerland. Great St. Bernard Pass (Col du Grand St-Bernard) is the highest point on this list at 2472 metres (8110 feet). Also above 1400 metres (or 4600 feet) are the mountain resort towns of Zermatt and Montana.

Average December temperatures

High °F

Low °F

Place

High °C

Low °C

40

31

Biel / Bienne

5

0

35

23

Evolène

2

-5

40

29

Fribourg

4

-2

42

32

Geneva (Genève)

5

0

37

24

Grächen

3

-4

25

16

Great St. Bernard Pass

-4

-9

38

24

La Chaux-de-Fonds

4

-4

42

35

Lausanne

5

1

36

25

Montana

2

-4

40

33

Neuchâtel (Neuenburg)

4

0

40

32

Nyon

5

0

39

30

Payerne

4

-1

40

27

Sion (Sitten)

5

-3

34

20

Zermatt

1

-7

Central & Northern Switzerland

Most places on this list are below 1000 metres (3280 feet) elevation where the weather is relatively mild. A little cooler are the ski resort villages of Adelboden in the Bernese Oberland and Engelberg in Obwalden canton.

The sites here with the coldest weather are two mountain peaks. Säntis, near Schwägalp, at 2502 metres (8209 feet) elevation is the highest point in the Appenzell Alps.

Even higher is the weather station at 3580 metres (11,745 feet), above Jungfraujoch pass of the Bernese Alps, a spot known as the "Top of Europe".

Average daily temperatures in December

High °F

Low °F

Place

High °C

Low °C

39

31

Aarau

4

-1

38

24

Adelboden

3

-4

41

32

Basel

5

0

38

28

Bern (Bären)

4

-2

36

24

Engelberg

2

-5

39

28

Interlaken

4

-2

16

6

Jungfraujoch

-9

-15

40

30

Lucerne (Luzern)

4

-1

26

16

Säntis

-3

-9

38

30

Schaffhausen

4

-1

38

29

St. Gallen

4

-2

39

31

Wädenswil

4

-1

39

29

Zürich

4

-2

Eastern Switzerland

This list includes two low-elevation cities, Locarno and Lugano, in the canton of Ticino of south-east Switzerland.

Several places here in the canton of Graubünden are mountain resort towns, including Davos, Scuol and Samedan, which sit above 1500 metres (4921 feet) elevation.

There are also two mountains of the Central Eastern Alps. On Weissfluhjoch, a peak in the Plessur Range above Davos, weather is reported from just below the summit, at 2690 metres (8825 feet) elevation. On Piz Corvatsch, near Silvaplana in the Bernina Range, the weather is measured at 3305 metres (10,843 feet).